


"I like dogs."

by TNKT



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Tries, Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor has no idea how to behave normally around dogs, Denial of Feelings, Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor Friendship, Hank likes to prank Connor, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Sassy Connor, Some Humor, Sumo is in love with Connor, Swearing, but how and why wonders Hank, conspiracy theory does Connor really like dogs, is difficult, the age-old debate of whether Connor got scared of Sumo or not, to learn how to pet dogs, why wouldn't that tag exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-01-10 23:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNKT/pseuds/TNKT
Summary: Hank asks Connor why he stares at Sumo like that every time he's about to pet the dog, because that's not what someone usually does when they say they like dogs. Turns out the android doesn't really know how to deal with man's best friend.Hank takes it upon himself to show Connor how to pet dogs the correct way.Sumo proceeds to teach Connor how to play fetch with him.Connor learns that hugging Sumo can be - canfeel- very nice.(Eventually I got around to planning another few Sumo-Connor moments so there will be more than the originally planned 3 chapters)





	1. How to pet a dog

Hank was confused.  
There were a lot of aspects to Connor's personality which had this effect on him, and it certainly wasn't the first time he found himself wondering what the hell was going on in the guy's high-tech brain. What had triggered this line of thought just now was the scene unfolding before him between his dog and Connor. His android colleague was greeting Sumo in that strangely calculated way of his, where he would kneel down in front of the dog and cock his head to the side as if studying it for a few seconds, before slowly reaching out to pet Sumo's back. At first Hank found it sort of amusing how cautiously Connor would approach Sumo, but now he didn't get why that was still the case after they'd met a few times already. He thought the android would've gotten used to Sumo by now, especially considering how well-behaved the dog was with him.

Hank went to get his coat and said: "He's a big dog, but he won't bite, you know."

The android's hand stilled and he looked up at him. "I'm aware. Why are you telling me that?"

"Because you look at Sumo like he's about to eat you every time you get close to him. I thought you said you liked dogs?"

"I did say that," recalled Connor.

Hank came back with his weathered brown coat in his hands and stopped next to them. "So?"

"I was programmed to say it, just like I was programmed to talk about all your other interests," answered the android. "I hadn't ever seen a real dog up close at that time."

"Okay..." Hank didn't know how to feel about that. All he knew was that whatever he felt wasn't positive, and on second thought, it might even have been bordering on disappointment. "So what you're saying is you don't actually like dogs."

"Well, I'm not sure." Connor's voice grew quieter. "I was not programmed to pet Sumo the first time I met him, and yet I did." 

"So you like dogs. Connor, you might want to try and make things even more complicated next time."

The android looked back down at Sumo. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. It's difficult to understand for me as well."

Hank shrugged on his coat and stared at his friend as he tried to make sense of whatever it was Connor was trying to tell him. He'd known about Connor petting Sumo the first time, he'd seen him do it from the hallway just before they left for the Eden Club. Hank had even wondered what the hell the RK800 was doing to his dog when Connor had kneeled in front of Sumo and stared at him like he was analyzing evidence, and he'd almost intervened. But he hadn't, because then the android had reached out and gently lowered his hand on Sumo's back. It had been a strange thing to witness, and definitely not something he'd expected from a robot. Then Connor had done it again the second time he'd come to Hank's house, without being prompted to. Hank wasn't an expert on androids or how their senses worked, but it definitely looked like Connor enjoyed touching the dog's fur.

"Look, if you like petting Sumo then you probably like him. It's not that difficult."

Connor remained unconvinced. "Is it that simple?"

"Well yeah. Why, is there something else?"

The android retrieved his hand from Sumo's fur and the dog gazed at him with disappointment in its droopy eyes. "Perhaps I do like Sumo, but when I get close to him, my defense mechanisms start up on their own."

"What, so you're scared of dogs?"

"I'm not... scared, as such. Sumo is a big dog," said Connor, and Hank could've sworn he was trying to justify himself.

"So you're scared of big dogs then."

"Not exactly," insisted the android. "Part of my programming is comprised of self-preservation protocols, and dogs can be a danger to androids. We don't give off much of a scent or anything that can help identify what we are aside from moving machines, and as such, dogs can perceive us as a threat and attack. I imagine that is the reason why Cyberlife decided to implement those defense mechanisms against dogs."

Hank rolled his eyes. All that fancy reasoning was just the android's way of not admitting that he could indeed get scared of dogs. Hank would have insisted, but he knew Connor would just deny it again and again and there would be no winning against the android's unwavering refusal to acknowledge his feelings. It was annoying, but Hank suspected it was probably hardwired in his deviant hunter metal brain that he wasn't allowed to have any. _Baby steps, Hank_ , he reminded himself. _No need to rush him_.

"Okay, well you can turn those off with Sumo," Hank said instead. "He likes you."

The android looked surprised. "He does?"

"Yeah," Hank said with a shrug. "It's obvious."

Sumo was not in very good shape, which Hank knew was entirely his fault : they didn't go on many walks and the walks they did go on were not nearly long enough. The dog spent his days lying down in the corner of the living room and didn't often play with his toy. He was slightly overweight with too much belly fat, much like his owner, and he almost never moved his ass from his flattened cushion unless it was to eat.  
Yet as soon as Connor stepped through the front door with Hank, the big dog would rise from his bed like the RK800 was his messiah and lumber over to greet them both. Hank had absolutely zero doubt that Sumo was in love with Connor. Unfortunately for his dog, it didn't seem that Dense McGee over there understood that and the love wasn't exactly returned in full.

"Just look up stuff about dog behaviour and you'll get what I'm saying. If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that Sumo doesn't think you're a threat," assured Hank.

"...I see," the android said as he resumed petting the dog. 

It looked awkward and probably felt that way too, but his dog looked satisfied with the light and clumsy pats Connor was giving it. Hank wondered why Sumo appreciated the android so much when Connor didn't really give the dog much of a reason to. Was it because he didn't smell like booze, even if he didn't smell like anything organic at all? Was it his voice, which sounded a lot smoother than Hank's? Was it the way the android moved, fluidly and without any sudden movements? Connor had told him he'd been designed to work harmoniously with humans - and Hank made mental quote signs every time he thought about that conversation, because hell they'd hit a few rough patches while working together - so maybe it unintentionally worked with dogs as well, or even better than it did with humans. Maybe Sumo even liked the guy just for his face or that goofy looking tuft of hair, but whatever it was, it was working. Now if only Connor knew how to pet a dog properly.

"Here, let me show you how it's done," Hank suddenly proposed. He hunkered down next to the puzzled android and reached out to Sumo. "His favorite spot is right there, behind his right ear. You gotta scratch it real good."

Connor hesitantly did as he was told. Hank watched him closely and only had to wait about ten seconds before Sumo started making growly noises of appreciation, and Connor's reaction to them was as good as he'd expected. The android jerked back his hand like he'd been burned and apprehension transpired through his usually calm expression. For the brief while during which Hank managed to keep a straight face, the tense android slightly leaned backwards and stared at the dog like it was about to jump him and steal his lunch money. Then Hank snorted, and the android realized what was happening and shot him a look that was nearly offended.

"You could have warned me," he said accusingly.

Hank offered him a shit-eating grin. "Couldn't help myself."

Sumo's eyes curiously followed the android's movement as Connor straightened and stepped away, wordlessly smoothing down his Cyberlife jacket in what seemed to be a slightly vexed silence. 

"Don't worry Sumo, he's not mad at you," Hank told the dog.

The dog didn't look too worried about anything, and rose off its haunches to heavily pad up to Connor. The android stilled completely when he noticed Sumo getting close and stared at the dog with a cautious expression. Hank could nearly hear his metal brain processing what this new development could possibly mean and didn't even want to imagine the amount of calculations currently accumulating in there. He wasn't sure the guy was even programmed to deal with animals in the first place, besides those dumb defense mechanisms, since Connor's prime mission had been to track down androids. Was it still possible for a deviant like Connor to lag or something, like a computer, if it was confronted with something it wasn't programmed for? Hank had seen the RK800 lock up a few times before, when faced with a difficult decision that probably had him running a shitload of complex calculations in the background, but that was when he was still in machine mode. At least, Hank thought it was. Jesus, he really had no idea how androids worked, did he.

"He just wants you to continue petting him," Hank quickly informed the other before he could bug out on him or whatever else.

Connor shot him a wary glance. "Really?"

"You don't trust me anymore? I'm hurt," teased Hank.

The android did not look very happy with him. "You knew I'd be caught off guard and yet you didn't say anything. I don't know if you're going to do that again. You haven't exactly given me reason to trust you right now."

"Come on, Connor, it was a joke. Don't you have humor programmed somewhere in there?" smiled Hank. He started feeling a tad guilty when the android just stared at him with a blank face. Did they have humor in their program? Yeah, of course they did, Connor had sassed him a few times already and he did seem to get some of his jokes. Apparently androids just didn't like getting pranked either. Hank hadn't thought Connor would actually be mad at him for that, so he tried to compromise. "All right, look, just pet the poor dog. I won't do it again."

"Won't you?"

"I won't, I promise. I'll warn you next time."

Connor looked down at Sumo, who was still waiting for some much desired pats and lazily wagging his tail, then back at Hank. "So you're telling the truth, when you say Sumo would like me to pet him more?"

"Yeah." Hank put his hands on his knees and pushed himsef up, ignoring the ungodly cracking of his joints as he did so. He was in shit shape all right, nothing new there. "And don't worry about Sumo's weird noises, he only does those when he really likes where you're scratching. I wasn't lying about that either, he actually does like being scratched behind the ear. You can pet him anywhere, really."

The android didn't seem especially enthralled by the prospect of being able to pet Sumo anywhere. Hank had expected him to attempt rubbing the dog on the head or the flanks, but Connor just went back to petting him on the back again. 

"You're not gonna try petting him on the head or anything?" asked Hank.

Connor looked up at him questioningly. "No, but would you like me to?"

"I don't really give a shit either way," answered the man, and as he did so he realized that was a lie. He did want to see the android try petting Sumo on the head. The fur was softer there and Sumo made funny expressions when someone scratched him between the eyebrows, and he wondered if Connor would notice that and what he would think if it. Hank was curious to see what new responses deviancy had possibly brought to Connor, to see just how much he'd changed compared to their first days working together. "I'm just trying to figure out why."

"I think I'm just fine with it this way," Connor simply said.

Hank was just a bit exasperated by this answer. Connor had gone deviant, led an army to a revolution, saved the very androids he was trying to eliminate, so what was so damn difficult about petting a dog on the head? _Baby steps_ , Hank reminded himself once again. Part of him figured he was also at fault for this since he'd just pranked Connor with Sumo's weird noises, but this wasn't the first time the android had showed how tenacious he was to sticking to his comfort zone, which could be surprisingly narrow at times. He didn't know if Connor was aware of it at all, of the way he avoided some subjects or how he adopted strange behaviours in certain situations he didn't quite know how to deal with. Most of all, Hank had no fucking clue why this mattered so much to him. Connor often behaved strangely in regards to human standards, and most times Hank just settled with that : Connor being weird because the kid was weird and that was it. But sometimes he really did have to wonder if it was just relevant to human standards or if this kind of thing set him apart from other androids too. Deviancy could only explain so much.

"Okay, well... Whenever you feel like upgrading to head pats, make sure you scratch him between the eyebrows. I'm sure you'll find it interesting."

Connor was instantly on his guard. "What will he do?"

Hank wanted to laugh at how suspicious the android looked, but he managed to keep a straight face. The only other time he'd seen the android so damn leery was when he was interrogating suspects. Damn, was he on the grill too right now? He really needed to avoid pranking Connor again. Not that he would. The android could reach levels of gullible that made it near impossible to resist the temptation. Granted, sometimes it felt about as gratifying as pranking a toddler and Hank felt kind of bad about it afterwards, but that didn't stop him.

"He won't start singing opera, if that's what you're worried about. He'll just make goofy-looking faces, kind of like yours."

"Hank, we've been over this." The android looked like he really wanted to sigh. "My face is not goofy. It was purposely designed not to be." 

"Yeah, yeah, you can tell yourself that if that's what it takes to help you sleep at night," Hank said with a wave of his hand. "Or get in standby mode or whatever it is."

Connor suddenly raised both eyebrows. "I'm impressed."

Now it was Hank's turn to be wary. This smelled of sarcasm. "What?" he asked defensively.

"That you would remember such terms as standby. Last I checked, you barely knew how to turn a computer on and off."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny."

"Funny and true." Connor withdrew his hand from Sumo's back without touching the dog's head. "To answer your earlier question, my social module does allow me to understand humor and I am programmed to reciprocate the same type of humor that humans show me. In other words, my sense of humor is supposedly derived from yours."

Hank frowned. "Supposedly?"

Connor's lips quirked up on one side, and good lord, he looked really pleased with himself. "It's safe to say that I have bettered your sense of humor. Sharpened it, if you will."

"What, my sense of humor not subtle enough for you, sir?" Hank asked sarcastically. "I almost forgot how smug of a prick you were sometimes."

"I wasn't aware being smug was your definition of stating facts," answered the RK800 in that damn smooth voice of his. "Though I should have expected it, considering how well you take criticism in general."

"All right, you can stop shit talking me now," grumbled Hank, knowing full well he couldn't rival the android in that fighting ring. Connor was getting back at him for the pranking with a vengeance. "Jesus, I really hate it when you get sassy."

"That's why I do it," answered Connor, the way he did every time they had this exchange. "By the way, Lieutenant, don't try to make me pet Sumo again just so we can arrive three minutes later at the precinct. I know what you were trying to do."

Busted.

"You pet Sumo again anyway, knowing that?" asked Hank, half-surprised and half-hopeful. Maybe the android was finally seeing that it wasn't so bad being a few minutes late at work. It wasn't like Fowler would have an aneurysm over it.

"Only because we can make up for that time using a shortcut," justified the android. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lieutenant, but we are only going to be late to work for 75 minutes and not a second more."

Hank nodded slowly. "Sure... And it wasn't because you really wanted to pet Sumo a second time."

"No," answered Connor with his usual poker face. 

"Right." Hank smiled and shook his head. "Fine, I'll pretend I believe you. Come on, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey pumpkin.  
> Okay so you know how in a lot of fics Connor and Sumo hit it off perfectly right from the get-go? It's adorable and I love seeing my boy happy with his favourite pupper, but I can't be the only one who thought Connor looked hella awkward the first time he pet Sumo. Just look at that scene and dare tell me that's an android who's completely at ease. He looks like he has no clue whether he's using his hand the right way or knows he's doing it wrong but is still going for it because fuck it that fur looks SOFT. Either way I love it. I love my awkward son. He's discovering the joys of animal wonders.  
> So I thought to myself : yeah but what happens next? What would Hank do upon noticing this awkwardness? Would Connor learn how to pet Sumo correctly? Would he know how to hug a dog, how to play with it? Well, this is that fic. No one asked for it but I'm still delivering (when I should be studying for exams, of course, or else it wouldn't be any fun).  
> On a side note, vine compilations have ruined me because whenever I read the line "He's a big dog, but he won't bite, you know," I keep thinking of the "he don't bite - yes he do" vine. I don't know what that says about me, just thought I'd share.
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!


	2. How to play with a dog

Connor stepped up to the door and pressed a finger to the doorbell. He did so for exactly thirty seconds and only lowered his hand when his audio units picked up the familiar sound of cursing from within the house. Hank nearly teared down the door with a highly frustrated expression.

"Fuck's sake, Connor, it was open!"

"Oh," said Connor. "I didn't know that."

"Next time you're coming because I ask you to, just assume you can get in. If you can't, _then_ you can try and make me go fucking deaf," grunted Hank as he turned back inside. 

"Duly noted, Lieutenant."

Hank shot him an exasperated look. "Never gonna drop that lieutenant shit, are ya. We're not at work right now, when are you gonna get that through your thick skull?"

"Sorry." Connor tried a smile, but judging from the man's expression, it wasn't as appeasing as he'd meant it to be. It wasn't genuine, and Hank must've seen right through it. The lieutenant was good at that.

"Look, I called you here because I got an idea. I want you to walk Sumo."

Connor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why me?"

"Sumo needs more exercise, and you're an android who doesn't get tired. I'm sure I don't need to explain why it's better this way." Hank handed him a red cord which Connor was quick to identify as a leash. "I'll be with you the first time, because you probably have no idea what it's like to walk a dog, but that's it. After that you're on your own."

"But why me?" insisted the android. "Why not you?"

"Cause I'm lazy and Sumo won't mind."

Connor took the leash in his hands. "With all due respect, Hank-"

"Sure, like you got any."

"-You aren't in very good shape either, and it would be beneficial to your health to continue walking Sumo."

"Well I don't feel like it, so stop bustin' my balls about my health. I didn't ask for a goddamn nanny android."

"I don't see why I should accept," Connor suddenly said. "Maybe I don't feel like it either."

Hank rolled his eyes. "You really gonna say no to that?"

Connor looked in the direction Hank was gesturing and saw the dog sitting next to him with his tongue lolling out as it gazed expectantly at him. Connor had looked up some elements of canine behaviour like Hank had told him to, and now he knew how to recognize a few of Sumo's expressions. This one was pure unadulterated anticipation. Connor knew Hank was right, it would be morally wrong to refuse this small bit of happiness to the big innocent dog. Sumo clearly wanted Connor to walk him, and had done nothing wrong.

He looked back at the lieutenant. "I must insist that you come with us in the future as well."

Hank crossed his arms. "Yeah well, I don't give a shit that you insist. Think of it as repaying me the favour of teaching you how to pet Sumo."

Connor understood that Hank wasn't going to change opinions on the matter and decided to drop the subject. He would try convincing him later. Instead, he looked down at Sumo and then at the leash in his hand, and knelt down to clasp the metal hook on the dog's collar. He hadn't noticed the collar the last time, so Hank must have put it on for the walk. It was made in leather of a near-matching dark shade of red to the leash, and it surprised Connor that the lieutenant paid attention to that sort of thing. He hadn't taken Hank to be the type to care about aesthetics.

"It's a nice ensemble," he complimented automatically. His _brown-nosing protocol_ , as Hank called it, still remained and he often chose the option to say pleasant things to deepen his bond with his lieutenant. They were already friends, but now that his mission didn't dictate how he was supposed to act, Connor did it because he wanted to. Connor had found that making compliments was generally appreciated by humans, and that he liked doing it even if Hank often reacted like it was a nuisance.

"Yeah, I'm sure Sumo is ecstatic about it," muttered Hank as he went to grab his coat on the side of the door. "Come on, let's go."

They left the house and Connor suddenly realized how mundane this was. He was walking a dog, which was a human action. He was participating in one of Hank's habits. This was routine for Hank, something he did daily with Sumo when he wasn't at the DPD or at Jimmy's Bar. It was the first time Connor did something with his lieutenant that wasn't related to work in some way, and it felt different ; he suspected it even felt pleasant.

"Stop your damn power-walking, Connor, you're gonna give the poor dog a heart attack!"

Connor checked Sumo's vitals and there was nothing wrong with him, which he proceeded to tell his friend. "Hank, I can assure you that Sumo's heart is very healthy."

Hank waved his answer away like it was inconsequential. "That's not the problem! This is supposed to be the relaxing part, all right, you can do all the power-walking you want when we get to the park."

So Connor forced himself to slow his gait and adjust it to Hank's. Sumo was lumbering down the street and they were following at a leisurely pace as Hank grumbled and mumbled about Captain Fowler's most recent addition to his disciplinary folder. Apparently he'd thrown his coffee at Detective Reed. Connor hadn't witnessed it because he was in the break room, busy trying to convince Officer Chen that even if he was an android, his presence at the DPD really wasn't that bad. It hadn't worked very well, but at least she'd listened for about two minutes before leaving with her unfinished coffee. Or maybe she'd been ignoring him, Connor wasn't sure.

They reached the park after ten minutes of walking and Hank gave the place a quick once-over.

"Looks like there aren't too many dogs out here, so you can take off the leash," he told him. "Usually it's fine to let Sumo walk around freely, but some days you're gonna have to be careful if you see too many excited dogs. Sumo's old and not in good shape, so you gotta watch out that they don't get too rough with him when they play."

"I see," nodded Connor, and he unclipped the leash. Sumo shook himself and wandered off, and they both watched him sniff the grass here and there. Then Sumo picked something off the ground and came back to them, wagging his tail faster than before. Connor thought he looked eager. The dog stopped in front of him and dropped the stick he was holding right in front of Connor's feet. Connor frowned, confused.

"He wants to play with you," Hank helpfully explained.

"Play with me?" echoed Connor.

"Yeah, you take the stick and you throw it. You'll see, it's nothing complicated."

Connor looked down at the stick warily. This felt like some kind of trap. What was the point of throwing the stick? What if Hank was preparing to trick him? Sumo's tail thumped against the grass and he saw a keen shine in the dog's droopy eyes which made up his mind. Hank had said he wouldn't do anything like that again, so Connor chose to trust his word and bent down to pick up the stick. It was of decent size, sturdy, and humid with the dog's saliva.  
Connor didn't know how far he was supposed to throw it, but he figured that it was best not to put his full force into it. He lifted his arm and snapped it forward, and the stick flew out in a straight line. Sumo immediately sprinted off, his skidding start showering Connor's pants with clumps of dirt and grass, and thundered after the flying projectile.

"Jesus, Connor! Don't use all your strength to throw it," Hank exclaimed.

Connor looked at him. "I didn't. I thought half would be low enough, but it seems I was wrong."

"Yeah, no shit. Sumo's gonna be looking for that thing for days," said Hank, but he didn't sound too disapproving. "You'd probably be gold medal in weight throwing Olympics."

Connor tried not to look too worried. "Is Sumo going to be all right?"

"What? Yeah, I was joking about the looking for days thing. He's probably gonna come back in five minutes."

In fact, Sumo trotted back in three with his head held up high and his tail waving around in a frenzy. He stopped in front of Connor again and spat out the stick, then looked up at him with yet a different expression. This time, Sumo looked like he was waiting for Connor to do something. Lost, Connor looked over at Hank again to seek help.

It looked like Hank was finding the situation rather amusing. "He wants you to congratulate him."

Connor frowned in confusion. "How do I congratulate him?"

"Tell him he's a good boy."

Connor was now caught between wariness and bewilderment. "Why would I do that? He's a dog."

Hank rolled his eyes. "It's a figure of speech, you moron. Everyone calls their dog a good boy or a good girl when it's being good."

Connor hesitantly turned back to Sumo, and in a voice that was slightly lacking in conviction, told him : "Good boy."

"No, not like that!" Hank cut in annoyedly. "Let me show you."

He stepped closer to them and grabbed the dog by the head in alarmingly rough fashion, rubbing both sides of its head so violently that Sumo's face was squished between his palms. He started intoning a loud mantra at the same time : "Good boy, Sumo, that's right, you're a good boy!" Then he straightened with a smile like what he'd just done was completely normal and said : "That's how you do it."

Connor stared at him in shock.

"Okay, why are you looking at me like I'm Freddy Krueger?" asked Hank with a frown.

Connor regained his composure then and answered in a controlled voice. "I didn't expect canine congratulations to be so... impetuous. I was surprised, that's all."

"Impetuous?" Hank repeated incredulously. "What the hell are you going on about? That's how you do it!"

Connor glanced at the dog. Sumo did look rather happy : his tongue was hanging out and he was panting ecstatically, curiously watching their exchange. 

"So it didn't... hurt him?" he asked cautiously.

"Jesus, no! What do you take me for?" exclaimed Hank in what was now clear exasperation.

Sumo let out a little whine in front of Connor and lowered his head to push the stick with his nose, then looked back up again expectantly. Connor realized Sumo wanted him to throw it again, so he crouched to pick up the stick again and this time gauged his strength so that it wouldn't be thrown at the other end of the park. Sumo took off like a rocket and Connor distractedly noted that he would have to change his pants.

"You're probably going to be doing that for a while now that you started," Han informed him with a little smile. "Sumo really likes to play fetch."

Connor looked at him questioningly, but Sumo was already coming back. It turned out that despite being an old dog, Sumo had quite the extensive stamina and Connor was still throwing the stick fifteen minutes later. He'd started to throw it farther and farther every time so that Sumo could run longer, and Hank had decided to sit down on the side and listen to something on his phone. He had some white devices in his ears that were connected to his phone by a cord, which Connor had never seen before, so he looked it up and understood that they were an older version of the wireless ear pieces humans currently used. It seemed his lieutenant was holding on to them just like he held on to his car.

The big dog came running back full speed with the stick in its mouth, and Connor held out his hand, waiting for Sumo to slow down to a stop. Only, for some mysterious reason, Sumo did not slow down this time. Sumo kept running full speed.

"Sumo, stop!" called out Connor when the dog bounded past the first virtual line the android has unconsciously displayed- < _safe distance_minimal_ >\- and started drawing dangerously close to the second one- < _danger_crash imminent_ >. The dog did not stop and Connor saw the dog's elated face closing in fast.

__The RK800 model was built to withstand fair amounts of physical trauma. A heavy punch to the face from a human had no effect, it could recover from having its pump regulator ripped out faster than the average android, it could sprint off after landing from a two-story jump, it could even take a blow to the cranium box from the sideview mirror of an incoming car on a highway and only be stunned for one second. An RK800 had an infallible sense of balance and was positioned by default in an extremely stable posture. An RK800 was prepared to counter any kind of human or android style of fighting.  
Apparently, an RK800 was not meant to have 160 running pounds of Saint-Bernard slammed in its knees, that much was clear when Connor's whole world flipped around and he found himself staring up at the blue sky._ _

__"Connor!" called a voice, and suddenly Hank appeared above him. "Shit, are you all right?"_ _

__The android blinked and smoothly lifted himself off the ground. He looked up at Hank. "What happened?"_ _

__The man had an expression on his face that Connor couldn't quite identify, because his facial recognition program indicated a 50% chance of it being worry and a 50% chance of it being laughter. In the end, Hank asked : "You're not hurt, right?"_ _

__"No," Connor answered after a quick self-diagnosis. "Not at all."_ _

__That's when Hank snorted and let out a sound so loud it nearly made the android jump. When he recognized it, he noted that it wasn't very similar to other types of laughter he'd heard before, and it was the first time he was witnessing Hank laugh this hard._ _

__"Oh God," Hank gasped and fell down next to him, which instantly alarmed Connor- sickness? fainting spell? heart attack?- but then proceeded to wheeze and hold his stomach and laugh even louder. "That was too funny, holy shit! I can't stop laughing, shit, my stomach hurts!"_ _

__Connor just watched on with a small frown as the man dissolved into giggles. He had the slightest hint that he was the one being laughed at right now and he didn't quite like it. Finally Hank managed to regain control over his laughing fit and wiped his eyes before sighing._ _

__"Shit, I haven't laughed that hard in ages, but the way you-" He had to stop and take a breath, another huge grin menacing to take over his features, before he could continue. "The way you just cartwheeled into the air- you just flipped over like a stiff pancake, god, that was fucking great!"_ _

__He guffawed again and collapsed next to Sumo, overtaken by a new bout of laughter. Connor tried to visualize what had happened to him, but when he did, he failed to see what was so funny._ _

__"Guess now you know what your quarter feels like," wheezed Hank with his face in the grass._ _

__Connor waited patiently for a minute, and then decided he'd had enough. "Are you done, Lieutenant?"_ _

__Hank glanced at him and got off the grass with a huge smile. "Oh, so we're back to the Lieutenant business, eh? Didn't think androids could be so touchy."_ _

__Connor couldn't stop frowning at him. "I'm not being touchy."_ _

__"So what are you being, huh? I bet you're not in a very good mood right about now."_ _

__The lieutenant's observation took Connor by surprise and he realized he was right. "I don't know what this feeling is."_ _

__"That's being touchy. Not liking when someone makes fun of you, like just now." Hank seemed to remember something and turned towards the dog at his side. "By the way Sumo, bad dog! You can't run into people like that! You could've hurt him!"_ _

__"I'm not hurt, Han-"_ _

__"I know that," the man cut him off annoyedly. "But you're a goddamn android. A human would've gotten at least one bone broken with the stunt Sumo just pulled on you."_ _

__Connor looked at Sumo, whose head had dropped in what could have been shame, but what could also have been laziness. He didn't look especially sad, which Connor remarked. "I don't think Sumo feels that bad about it. Does he really listen to you when you scold him?"_ _

__Hank narrowed his eyes at him. "Say that I don't know how to raise my own dog, why don'tcha."_ _

__Connor didn't insist, but he made a mental note to look up literature on canine training methods. Maybe it would impress Hank if he taught his dog some tricks, because it was quite obvious to Connor that the man had never really tried to discipline the dog. Even Connor knew that telling Sumo off with a few words whilst not even looking that angry wouldn't prevent the dog from doing what he'd just done all over again, and Connor was an android with only basic knowledge of canine behaviour. There was definitely work to be done with the dog, but Hank didn't need to be told that._ _

__"I wouldn't dare," Connor said instead._ _

__They got off the ground, patting themselves down to get rid of the dirt and grass that littered their clothes, and Hank decided it was time to go back._ _

__"Think you can handle walking Sumo alone next time?" asked Hank._ _

__Connor looked at the dog, then back at his friend. "Yes, I think I can."_ _

__"Good," Hank gruffly said, and he gave Connor's shoulder a pat. "Nice work today. You did good with Sumo."_ _

__Connor smiled at him, sincerely this time. "Thank you, Hank."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey pumpkin.  
> Let's all give a round of applause to our favourite awkward android, for finally learning how to walk Sumo and play with him! Look, I don't know myself why Sumo suddenly charged him like a freight train, but it's something I've seen before so it's probably not that uncommon for big dogs to do that. They don't realize how strong they are.
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!


	3. How to hug a dog

It hadn't been a good day, that much Sumo was able to tell when he saw his two favourite people standing bedraggled in the doorway. Hank and Connor silently stared at the dog, and then at each other.

"Go on," Hank told Connor. "Get inside."

The android obeyed, his hand resting on his shoulder like he was holding it in place as he walked past Sumo. The dog's gaze followed the android to the couch where he slowly sat down.

"How're you feeling?" asked Hank gruffly while he hung up his coat.

Connor stared at the table in front of him and didn't answer.

Hank hobbled to the kitchen and made some noise there, clattering and clashing that rang in Sumo's sensitive ears, but the dog didn't mind as much as he normally would have if he hadn't been focused on Connor. The android's eyes were lost, his gaze faraway, his face taut in a way Sumo knew was bad. Sumo had seen that expression a lot of times before, when Hank took out the bottle that smelled too strong and the metal that smelled too sharp. Sumo didn't like that expression. 

Sumo padded up to Connor and whined to know if he was okay.

Connor's gaze shifted away from the table, but it simply slid past Sumo, right down to his hands which were clasped together and discreetly shaking. The little red light was bright, bright, bright. Sumo knew that wasn't good for his friend, and he took another step forward to lower his head on the android's lap, raising sympathetic brows to let Connor know that he was there if he needed him.

Connor's eyes finally focused on him when he felt the weight of Sumo's massive head on his knees. He stared at him silently for a few seconds, and then managed to reach a shaking hand to the dog's ear to scratch the spot behind it. It was clumsy because of the tremors shaking Connor's fingers, and Sumo worried that maybe his android was sick. Hank was shaky too when he was sick, and sometimes he got so sick that he wouldn't get up and the smell of sweat and illness permeated the house for days after. Sumo concentrated on sniffing at Connor's trembling hand and didn't scent any illness on that skin that smelled of rain and plastic. Sumo licked it anyway in an attempt to comfort Connor, even if he didn't know what was wrong.

Hank came back around the couch holding two mugs. One smelled of warm and bitter coffee, the other of the faintly metallic and chalk-scented liquid that Hank had stocked at the top of the cupboard a few weeks ago. The only other thing Sumo knew about it was that it was blue.

"Here," said his human as he handed over the strange-smelling mug to Connor. "I know you androids don't care much for this kind of thing, but at least it's warm."

Connor stared at it. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. In the end he just took the mug in his hands and held it in his lap. Hank sat down next to him and took a sip, then looked over and said: "Not gonna drink it?"

"They already replenished my thirium levels," finally spoke Connor. Sumo's ears perked up. Connor didn't sound like his usual self, like there was something wrong with his voice. It sounded monotone, flatter, transparent.

"Yeah, but... Do you have some kind of hard limit to how much thirium you can take?"

"I haven't reached it."

"Okay, so then you can drink."

"I can."

Hank shifted his hold around his mug so that his hands covered more of its surface. "Well, drinking something warm always helps me feel better when I get home after going through a rough patch at work."

"...Only something warm?" inquired Connor in that same flat voice.

Hank's face twitched.

Connor's eyes widened and he looked up in alarm. "I'm sorry, Hank, I don't know why I-"

"It's fine," Hank cut him off roughly. "It's not like you're wrong about it."

"I'm sorry," repeated Connor, and he looked down at his mug. One of his hand let go of it to rub at his shoulder again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

There was a long moment of silence until Hank spoke again. "Look, Connor... Your head's not on straight, it's normal. You just got your arm ripped off just an hour ago, you're probably in shock."

"I shouldn't have said that."

"Connor, you're not yourself right now. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm sorry."

"Connor..."

"I'm sorry."

Hank sighed. "Stop apologizing, will you." 

Connor shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I should've had your back, I was perfectly capable of running and I could've caught up with him and I could've shielded you-"

"Stop. Stop, Connor." Hank lowered the mug on the table and grabbed Connor by the shoulder with his other hand. "Don't go down the what-ifs path, okay? What happened happened and that's the end of it. I'm not even that hurt, even the doctor said it was nothing serious. You're the one who got it the worst out of the two of us, okay? Focus on yourself for a change, instead of beating yourself up over every little thing that happens to me."

"But if he'd aimed higher..." murmured Connor, gaze lost in the vague. "Three inches to the left, one inch up. He would've shot your femoral artery. We were fifteen minutes away from the hospital even with immediate backup. You would've bled out."

"I said _stop_ ," sharply said Hank, and he lightly slapped Connor over the face. The android startled and looked up at Hank's grim expression. "Don't do that reconstruction shit, Connor, not when you don't need it. You're only making yourself feel worse for nothing."

"....Sorry," said Connor as he lowered his head again. "I'll stop."

Hank sighed again. "I told you to stop apologizing. Just drink your thirium, all right? Try to think about something else."

Connor silently took a sip of his drink, and so did Hank after picking his mug back up. Both of them stared ahead in the calm and quiet. Sumo's gaze went back and forth, back and forth between the couch and the black screen on the wall. He didn't understand why they were both watching the screen while it was all dark, it wasn't the way things usually went when they sat together on the couch. The dog tilted his head to the side to stare at his owner. Maybe if he did so long enough, Hank would remember that they usually watched the screen when there were the moving pictures in it, and he would take the narrow black box on the table and press the button. 

But Hank didn't do that. Instead, he finished his mug and turned to Connor again. "Hey, Connor."

Sumo could still smell the chalk, so that meant Connor hadn't finished his drink. The android's head swivelled to look at Hank, but he didn't say anything. He just watched.

Hank pursed his lips, and then asked: "Can I do anything for you?"

"... I don't see what you _could_ do," answered Connor.

Hank shifted in his seat. "You look like you need some cheering up. You sure you don't want to go see the others?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay, so what do you want from me exactly?"

Connor considered this, and answered: "Nothing. I just want to be near you."

Hank watched him intently. "You know, Connor, it's over now. We're safe. Nothing's gonna happen to either of us."

"I know," said Connor. He didn't say anything else.

Hank sighed, and then gestured towards Connor's hands. "Okay, put down your mug."

Connor frowned confusedly at the man. "Why?"

"Just put it down," ordered Hank, and Connor complied. Hank then looked at Sumo and patted the couch. "Sumo, up."

Sumo didn't need to be asked twice and jumped up on the cushions as quickly as his old hind legs allowed him to, and both Hank and Connor ended up with an armful of Sumo.

Connor's voice was suddenly a lot less mechanical. "Hank, what are you-"

"Hey, don't panic," laughed Hank. "I know what I'm doing. Here, Sumo, give Connor a little kiss."

Sumo felt Hank shove him towards Connor and immediately understood what his role here would be. He eagerly clambered over Connor's lap and gave the android's face a vigorous lick.

"What-" sputtered Connor, but Sumo wasn't going to let up now that he had a mission and he continued lapping at his friend's nose. If this didn't help Connor feel better, then Sumo didn't know what would. Hank was laughing heartily on the side as Connor frantically tried to turn his head away from Sumo's affectionate attack.

"Relax, Connor, he's just giving you some love."

"He's _licking_ me!" Connor shouted indignantly as Sumo's heavy paws pinned him to the couch.

"Yeah, that's a dog's way of showing you he loves you!"

"Okay, Sumo- Sumo- Thank you, but that's enough," said Connor as he tried to push the dog's face away.

But Sumo didn't think that was enough, so he leaned against him with all his weight to make sure Connor wouldn't be able to dislodge him and shoved his muzzle right up to the his neck. When he let his head rest upon the android's shoulder, he felt Connor stiffen in surprise beneath him. Sumo breathed out contentedly when the hands stopped pushing at him.

His friend tentatively asked: "Sumo?"

"Oh, _man_ ," said Hank.

"What? What is it? What is he doing?" frantically asked Connor, his hands uncertainly hovering at Sumo's sides.

Hank lifted a hand to his beard. "I think he's giving you a hug."

"A hug?" echoed Connor.

"Sure looks that way, yeah."

Sumo let out a satisfied gust of air as he listened to the whirring of Connor's pump slow down a bit. He'd stopped writhing beneath Sumo's weight and now he was silent again. Sumo took advantage of his stillness to position his head more comfortably in the crook of Connor's shoulder.

"... What do I do?" asked Connor quietly.

"Hug him back, I guess," said Hank with a smile in his voice.

Sumo liked it there and decided he would stay a little longer. Connor didn't have an overwhelming smell the way Hank did: he carried with him only the scent of the outdoors and a faint touch of synthetics. The soft sounds that came from within the android's body were soothing to the dog's ears: there was the soft thrill of liquid pulsing through circuits just a bit louder than it did in Hank, and the small clicking sounds of a fan, and the steady whirring of a device at the center of Connor's chest. The android wasn't warm like Hank, or cold like the floor, but a pleasing in-between that was slightly cool against Sumo's wet nose.

Sumo felt arms encircle him and hands hesitantly settle in his fur. Then, fingers that were thinner than Hank's lightly started kneading the sides of his shoulders. The whirring slowed down even more and the yellow light transitioned to blue.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Hank. He leaned forward to pick up the two mugs and rose from his spot to go to the kitchen.

For a few seconds, nothing else happened.

Then Sumo felt the strong arms tighten around him in a desperate embrace and pull him closer. Connor's chest was a solid, breathing surface against Sumo's flank, and the android's slender fingers were knotted in his thick fur. Connor buried his face in the dog's neck, and after a moment of stillness he mumbled: "Thank you, Sumo."

His voice sounded like it was back to normal and the red light hadn't returned, which made Sumo glad because that meant Connor was okay. He lowered his muzzle to lick Connor's arm in comforting response.

_You'll be all right now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- 10/09/19 -  
> Hey pumpkin!
> 
> I finally got around to writing this idea I've had since the beginning. This was supposed to be this fic's end goal, with Connor finally being comfortable enough to hug Sumo, and in some way it still is. This is a door Connor has stepped through, and now him and Sumo can really be the bestest of friends!  
> Anyway, I intend to write two more chapters (at _least_. Who know whether I'll have other ideas for Sumo and Connor's relationship in the meantime... Their combined cuteness is pretty powerful and inspiring).
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!


	4. How to comfort a dog

Sumo let out a low whine. Both Connor and Hank looked over at the dog from their table on the side of Hank's back yard.

"What's wrong with Sumo?" asked Connor.

Hank shrugged. "He does that sometimes when he smells a storm coming. Weather's been pretty heavy today, wouldn't surprise me."

Connor was briefly silent. "There's a 50% chance of precipitation later tonight."

"Yeah, and Sumo doesn't really like storms. It makes him nervous."

Connor tilted his head. "Why?"

"Beats me. Apparently it's a dog-cat thing, you know, like fires."

Connor looked over at the dog again. Sumo liked Connor and he normally would've gotten up to put his head on the android's lap, but he was very distracted by the ominous smell that pervaded the air. Sumo spun around a few times and then headed back inside, eager to get away from the outside and on his much safer pillow in the corner of the much safer living room. He could still hear the gruff quality of his owner's words and his friend's composed timbre of voice from where he laid on the ground.

"Hey, this might sound stupid, but have you ever been in a thunderstorm before?"

"Storms, yes, but I've never been out and about while there was lightning and thunder."

"Huh. Well, I like watching them from inside. Just out of curiosity, how fast do your optical whatevers react?"

"My optical units register everything I see at all times. So yes, they'd be able to catch a lightning strike."

"Nice. You wanna hang out here tonight? If there's a thunderstorm, we could watch it together. If not, we could just watch a movie."

"It could be an interesting thing to witness," agreed Connor. "I'll stay."

When the sun lowered and the skies shifted from vibrant pink to dusky purple, Connor and Hank moved back inside to watch TV. Sumo laid down next to the couch so he'd be close to them, but he kept glancing at the window and smelling the air. He could feel something huge and heavy coming their way, yet neither of his friends looked worried. Someone laughed on the screen, Hank chuckled, and Connor smiled. Sumo got up to pace at the door. If they weren't aware of what was coming, Sumo would be for them. He'd warn them if it got too close. He'd protect them.

The moving pictures disappeared when Hank pressed the button on the narrow black box a while later, and he told Connor: "Storm's a no-show, looks like it'll break in the middle of the night."

"Are you going to bed?" asked Connor.

"Yeah, but if it storms I'll probably wake up and we can watch it together then. Deal?"

"And if you don't?" 

"You can wake me up," said Hank. " _Or_ we can watch one another time. It's not like it's the only storm that'll pass over Detroit in the next years."

"Deal," said Connor with a little smile. 

"G'night, Con."

"Good night, Hank."

Sumo watched his human amble down the dark corridor, and then looked at Connor. The android rose from the couch and went to kneel next to Sumo to give him a comforting pat on the head.

"It's okay, Sumo. It's just a storm." Connor looked outside the window. There were gray clouds starting to form in the skies that hadn't been there before, and when Connor looked back at Sumo, he was harbouring a compassionate smile. "Will you feel better if I talk with you a little bit? I can tell you why a storm appears, if you want. I can even tell you all about clouds and lightning."

Sumo didn't really understand what Connor was saying, but he liked the gentleness of his friend's smooth voice, and so he stopped pacing around and just stood there. He couldn't lie down in case something happened and he needed to help his friends out of here, but he could at least pay attention to Connor's soothing words. 

Connor stayed with him for a long while. The gray clouds disappeared in the darkness of the night and the first glowing number on the cooking machine changed several times, and Sumo ended up sitting on his haunches because standing for so long was tiring. Then Connor stopped talking to him to look around the living room, and then he looked back at Sumo.

"Is it okay if I turn the lights off?"

Sumo wasn't sure what Connor was asking, but he was used to this. Hank also sometimes asked him things even if Sumo couldn't answer, and then the human would decide by himself. Connor was doing the same thing now. The android stood up and walked over to the switch on the wall, and then the darkness fell down on them as well, not just outside. Sumo didn't mind that it was night in the house too all of a sudden, but he did mind being alone.

"It's late, Sumo. I have to go in standby, but I'll be right down the hall, okay?"

Sumo heard Connor walk across the living room and decided to follow him. His claws clicked against the hardwood floor in rythm with the very faint swiping sounds of Connor's footsteps.

"Are you going to keep me company?" Connor asked in a hushed voice.

Sumo just followed him down to the end of the hallway in the spot where Connor usually stopped moving for the night when he stayed over, and sat next to his friend as an answer.

Connor reached down to pet him on the head, and there was a smile in his voice when he whispered: "Good boy, Sumo."

Then he straightened and Sumo watched as the blue light softly pulsated a few times before slowing down at longer intervals. Connor stopped moving.

The storm came later.

Sumo's ears perked up at the first roll of distant thunder. He hadn't gone to sleep and had instead kept watch between Connor and the door to Hank's bedroom. Sumo looked up at Connor, who hadn't moved at all; and then he looked up to the door and listened closely, but only to find that his owner was snoring. There was a flash of light outside and Sumo bolted upright when the thunder rolled again, closer this time. His tail retreated between his legs and he cowered against the wall, but refused to leave his friends behind.

Then the light came again, and so did the rumbling, and Sumo couldn't stand it anymore. He hurried straight back to his cushion and hid with his head in the angle between his cushions and the walls so he wouldn't have to see the intimidating white light anymore.

But he could still hear the terribly loud thunder over his head, like rocks and boulders crashing down on the roof, and he was scared that they would fall on top of him. He stayed like that for a long time, trembling and afraid on his cushion in the corner of the living room, as the storm went on and on and on. Rain splattered against the window, hard and unrelenting and threatening to break the glass. The orange light from the lamppost just outside the house flickered in the torrential downpour.

Then Sumo heard the discreet shuffling coming from the hallway and he curiously lifted his head up from his cushion. Soft yellow light pulsated in the shadowed room where he managed to make out the lithe shape of his favourite android as it came closer. Sumo was happy to have someone to keep him company through the scary storm and he relaxed a little bit, and then sensed that something wasn't quite right. Connor hastily walked up to him and knelt at his side, hands awkwardly and agitatedly passing through his fur in a gesture Sumo recognized from the amount of times Connor had done this in the last few months: it was something he did that helped him calm down, sometimes. Sumo quickly understood that the not-quite-right thing about the android was that he was scared too.

"Hey Sumo," Connor softly said. "Do you mind if I stay with you a little bit?"

Sumo licked his hand.

"That's a yes, then." Connor went from a kneeling position to a sitting one and pressed up against Sumo's flank. "I think I understand why you don't like thunderstorms. They aren't very pleasant."

Sumo let his friend lean against him, reassured by the sensation of Connor's solid body against his own and the comforting whirring sound of his pump. Sumo had come to like that sound very much over the months, beause it was always there and constant and easier to listen to than Hank's heartbeat.

"I don't think I like thunderstorms either," continued Connor. "I never noticed it while I was a machine, but... They're so..." He hesitated, searching for the correct word. "... Loud. It didn't use to disturb me, before." His voice turned softer, more pensive. "Or maybe I just didn't realize it."

His fingers continued sifting through Sumo's fur in an appeasing back-and-forth motion.

"Do you think Hank will wake up? I didn't want to disturb him because he was sleeping, but it would be nice if he was here too. Though I know most humans don't tend to be awake at 3:47 in the morning." Connor's voice was absent-minded now, like he was saying anything that passed through his head as long as he was speaking. "Then again, Hank isn't most humans, is he? I wonder how he used to be before I knew him. I saw a picture of him when he was younger on his desk, at work. I don't know if he had a lot of friends, or if he really just didn't like them. I wonder what you were like before I met you, Sumo. I wonder how the world was before Elijah Kamski invented us."

There was a crack of thunder and Connor's hand faltered between Sumo's shoulderblades, who startled as well. 

"I don't think it'll last for much longer," said Connor. "This thunder came twenty four seconds after the lightning, it's three seconds more than the last one. That means the storm is getting further away from us, Sumo."

Sumo glanced up at the android's face at the mention of his name and saw Connor's features illuminated by the next bolt of lightning, all sharp edges and cutting shadows that made his friend look unnatural. But the yellow light was soft and it was still Connor. Sumo liked Connor. Sumo lapped at Connor's hand.

A sigh came down the hallway and heavy footsteps followed. Both the dog and the android's heads turned around to look behind them where they saw the tall and sturdy shape of their favourite human approaching and holding something in his arms.

"You should've woken me up," said Hank gruffly as drew closer.

"You were resting," said Connor. 

"Your LED's yellow, Connor. If the storm was overwhelming, you should've woken me up," insisted the human.

"Sumo and I kept each other company."

Hank sighed again and joined them on the floor, his knees creaking when he sat down. "You're a stubborn idiot, you know that?"

"That makes two of us, then," answered Connor tranquilly.

"Hmph." Hank unfolded the blanket he'd brought with him and threw it over his and Connor's shoulders, then draped the rest across Sumo. "There. Good boy."

Sumo wagged his tail happily. It had been a long time since he'd been through a storm with his favourite people at his side. The last time Hank and Sumo had watched a nighttime storm together, it had been with Cole. Sumo's tail slowed down when he remembered the boy, and he wondered again why his playmate hadn't yet returned. Then Connor's hand slid up to scratch the top of Sumo's head and his tail picked up the pace again, and he turned his head to adoringly watch his human and his android as they gazed out the window together. He didn't mind waiting to see Cole again. Sumo could play with Connor too, after all, and Cole would be happy when he'd see that Sumo had made another friend. When he came back, they'd all play together in the park. 

In the meantime, Sumo was happy watching the lightning bolts streak across the dark gray clouds next to his friends. The thunder wasn't even that scary anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- 05/11/2019 - 
> 
> Hey pumpkin!  
> There was a thunderstorm in my area the other night and I thought it would be cute if Sumo and Connor could watch one together for the first time. I don't think anyone is remotely surprised by the fact that it is.
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!

**Author's Note:**

> Come by and say hi on [Tumblr](https://lost-tanuki.tumblr.com/post/184765301043/dbh-fics) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/losttanuki)!  
> I now have a Discord server called the Pumpkin Patch server, you can pm either me or eremazing on Tumblr/Twitter to join. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
> 
> About Article 13/17...  
> If you don't know what it is, here is a helpful [post](https://death-over-coffee.tumblr.com/post/184396267266/on-june-20th-the-juri-of-european-parliament).  
> This note is here to warn you that it might stop me from finishing my fic one day.


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